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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: season · straw · cold · firm · foot · ruler · charge · staff

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. firm — decided
  3. cold — not warm
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. cold — an illness
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. charge — electricity
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. firm — steady
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. charge — in control
  19. foot — a measure
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — in sport
  22. staff — a stick
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. firm — a company

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com